Caution

Fancy macaroni & cheese elbow macaroni tossed in a creamy cheese sauce with mushrooms, roasted onions, applewood smoked bacon pieces, topped with blue cheese crumbles, macaroni & cheese

Open Food Facts label for barcode 0021000073825 · Frozen foods. Screening numbers and flags live in the verdict band below. This hero only situates the source record.

Barcode 0021000073825 · Serving size 1 cup (187 g)

The verdict

Fancy macaroni & cheese elbow macaroni tossed in a creamy cheese sauce with mushrooms, roasted onions, applewood smoked bacon pieces, topped with blue cheese crumbles, macaroni & cheese scores 85/100 in PlainFoodSafe's ingredient screening. We compared its 61 labeled ingredients with FDA SAFFA regulatory records and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings; 1 ingredient is flagged for caution. The source parser split this into a very long 61-component record, beginning with Sauce, Water, Goat Cheese Crumbles. That density can include amounts and label fragments, so verify the physical label before relying on ingredient order or completeness. This is not a recall, allergy, medical, or dietary-safety determination.

85/100
Caution safety score
1
One flagged · of 61 analyzed
Group 4
Ultra-processed
C
Nutri-Score nutrition grade

Computed directly from OpenFoodFacts ingredient data cross-referenced with FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. See our methodology for the scoring formula.

Composite profile score

One verdict from three independent sources

60/100

Grade C+

Ingredient Safety

85/100

FDA/CSPI flagged-ingredient screening

Processing Level

NOVA 4

Ultra-processed foods

Nutrition Grade

C

Nutri-Score front-of-pack nutrition grade

Weighted 50% ingredient safety / 25% processing level / 25% nutrition grade. A dimension with no data for this product (common: source coverage is partial) is dropped and its weight redistributes across the remaining dimensions, so missing data never silently lowers the score. See the full benchmark table.

00073825 · Open Food Facts · July 2026

Fancy macaroni & cheese elbow macaroni tossed in a creamy cheese sauce with mushrooms, roasted onions, applewood smoked bacon pieces, topped with blue cheese crumbles, macaroni & cheese label screening desk

SCORE-CAUT 85/100 FLAG-ONE 1 flagged LEN-DENSE 61 ing. REG-SPARSE 26% reg. NOVA-G4 G4 ultra NUTRI-C Nutri-C RANK-SHORT Len top 11% LEAD-FLAG Sodium Nitrite PHOTO-SOLO No peers BOOK-OFF …073825 · July 2026

16 of 61 parsed ingredients carry FDA SAFFA or CSPI coverage (lead: Sodium Nitrite). Source sheet 00073825 · Open Food Facts · July 2026. The screening score and flag counts are in the verdict band above. This desk is the provenance stamp, not a second scorecard. Methodology

Screening model notes

How Nutri-Score, NOVA, and list length read this record

The composite for this product falls in the second band of the four-tier framework. That band collects labels whose registry-rated components pull the derived score down measurably without dominating it. Position inside a band is not visible from the band name, and two labels sharing it can differ in how many components were rated and how severely. This is a threshold on an index computed here from public data, not a regulatory classification of any kind; the exact cut-offs are published on the methodology page.

Nutri-Score settled on its middle grade here, the band the algorithm produces when the penalty and credit sides of its nutrient ledger come out close to balanced. A mid-scale grade is a statement about the panel as a whole rather than about any single nutrient, and products arrive at it by very different routes: a moderate profile across every term, or high marks on some offset by heavy penalties on others. The grade is computed separately from the ingredient screen below and the two are not comparable measures.

The declared list is among the longer ones in this catalogue. A component set this wide means the screen returns many individual ratings, and the composite accumulates a large number of small contributions instead of turning on a handful of entries. At this length the per-component table below is substantially more informative than the single figure, because the figure compresses a great deal of variation into one number.

How It Compares to Its Category

Among the 24,982 products we've scored in the Frozen foods category, the average safety score is 92.9/100. Fancy macaroni & cheese elbow macaroni tossed in a creamy cheese sauce with mushrooms, roasted onions, applewood smoked bacon pieces, topped with blue cheese crumbles, macaroni & cheese scores 7.9 points below that category average (85/100 vs. 92.9/100), so it is a comparatively weaker pick for shoppers screening within that category specifically, rather than against the product catalog as a whole.

Ingredient-list length vs other Frozen foods products

Fancy macaroni & cheese elbow macaroni tossed in a creamy cheese sauce with mushrooms, roasted onions, applewood smoked bacon pieces, topped with blue cheese crumbles, macaroni & cheese lists 61 ingredients on its label

61 89th percentile a longer ingredient list than 89% of the 7,008 products we track

0–2: 11 products (0%). Below this entry. 2–4: 54 products (1%). Below this entry. 4–6: 54 products (1%). Below this entry. 6–8: 66 products (1%). Below this entry. 8–10: 102 products (1%). Below this entry. 10–12: 112 products (2%). Below this entry. 12–14: 184 products (3%). Below this entry. 14–16: 205 products (3%). Below this entry. 16–18: 245 products (3%). Below this entry. 18–20: 284 products (4%). Below this entry. 20–22: 264 products (4%). Below this entry. 22–24: 298 products (4%). Below this entry. 24–26: 247 products (4%). Below this entry. 26–28: 271 products (4%). Below this entry. 28–30: 284 products (4%). Below this entry. 30–32: 294 products (4%). Below this entry. 32–34: 325 products (5%). Below this entry. 34–36: 319 products (5%). Below this entry. 36–38: 314 products (4%). Below this entry. 38–40: 283 products (4%). Below this entry. 40–42: 2,792 products (40%). This entry sits in this band. This product 0 42 every published Frozen foods product, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more products. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Distribution as text

7,008 products, bucketed in bands of 2. This entry: 61 (89th percentile). Data current as of July 2026.

0–2
11 products (0%)
2–4
54 products (1%)
4–6
54 products (1%)
6–8
66 products (1%)
8–10
102 products (1%)
10–12
112 products (2%)
12–14
184 products (3%)
14–16
205 products (3%)
16–18
245 products (3%)
18–20
284 products (4%)
20–22
264 products (4%)
22–24
298 products (4%)
24–26
247 products (4%)
26–28
271 products (4%)
28–30
284 products (4%)
30–32
294 products (4%)
32–34
325 products (5%)
34–36
319 products (5%)
36–38
314 products (4%)
38–40
283 products (4%)
40 and above
2,792 products (40%)

Source Open Food Facts, product label ingredient lists · July 2026

Ingredient-list length is a descriptive property of the label, not a safety rating. A longer list is not automatically worse and a shorter one is not automatically better; the count is shown so the label can be placed against a comparable population. The comparison here runs against the 7,008 Frozen foods products we publish with a parsed label, not against the whole catalogue, because list length varies far more between categories than within one.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

How the 85/100 score is built

Screening starts at 100 and subtracts severity-weighted FDA SAFFA / CSPI flags (1 flagged of 61 labeled). The floor is 0 when deductions exceed 100.

1
Sauce
2
Water
3
Goat Cheese Crumbles
4
Pasteurized Goat Milk
5
Bacterial Cultures
6
Microbial Enzymes
7
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
8
Cellulose
Emulsifier
Safe
9
Half And Half
10
Milk
11
Cream
12
Parmesan Cheese
13
Cultured Part-skim Milk
14
Enzymes
15
Neufchatel Cheese
16
Milk And Cream
17
Cheese Culture
18
Stabilizers
19
Carob Bean
20
Guar
21
Xanthan Gum
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FORMULATION AID, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Approved
22
Mushrooms
23
Swiss Cheese
24
Part-skim Milk
25
Cheese Culture And Enzymes
26
Onion
27
Garlic
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT
GRAS
28
Butter
29
Cornstarch
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
30
Roasted Garlic
31
Whey Protein Concentrate
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
32
Sodium Phosphates
33
Enzyme Modified Romano Cheese
34
Romano Cheese From Cow's Milk
35
Cheese Cultures
36
Salt Enzymes
37
Natural Flavor
38
Natural Flavor
39
Cooked Enriched Macaroni Product
40
Enriched Macaroni Product
41
Semolina
42
Wheat
43
Egg Whites
44
Niacin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
45
Iron
46
Ferrous Sulfate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
47
Thiamine Mononitrate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
48
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
49
Folic Acid
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
Approved
50
Blue Cheese
51
Pasteurized Part-skim Milk
52
Fully Cooked Applewood Smoked Bacon Pieces
53
Bacon
54
Cured With Water
55
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
56
Sodium Nitrite
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PROPELLANT
Avoid Prior Sanctioned
57
Applewood Smoke Flavor. May Contain Sodium Phosphate
58
Natural Smoke Flavor
59
Sodium Erythorbate
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT
Safe GRAS
60
Sodium Ascorbate
ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT
GRAS
61
Dextrose
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Cut Back GRAS

Full Ingredient List

Sauce (water, goat cheese crumbles [pasteurized goat milk, bacterial cultures, microbial enzymes, salt, cellulose], half and half [milk, cream], parmesan cheese [cultured part-skim milk, salt, enzymes], neufchatel cheese [milk and cream, cheese culture, salt, stabilizers (carob bean, guar, and/or xanthan gum)], mushrooms, swiss cheese [part-skim milk, salt, cheese culture and enzymes], onion, garlic, butter [cream, salt], cornstarch, roasted garlic, whey protein concentrate, sodium phosphates, enzyme modified romano cheese [romano cheese from cow's milk (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), water, enzymes], swiss cheese [milk, cheese culture, salt enzymes], natural flavor, xanthan gum, flavor), cooked enriched macaroni product (water, enriched macaroni product [semolina (wheat), egg whites, niacin, iron (ferrous sulfate), thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid]), parmesan cheese (cultured part-skim milk, salt, enzymes), blue cheese (pasteurized part-skim milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes), fully cooked applewood smoked bacon pieces (bacon [cured with water, salt, sugar, sodium nitrite], applewood smoke flavor. may contain sodium phosphate, smoke flavor, sodium erythorbate, sodium ascorbate, dextrose).

Other products containing Goat Cheese Crumbles

Goat Cheese Crumbles is the least common ingredient on this label, appearing in 3 products across the catalog. See its safety profile.

Categories

Frozen foods

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Follow the flagged-label evidence

Sodium Nitrite is the first flagged ingredient selected from Fancy macaroni & cheese elbow macaroni tossed in a creamy cheese sauce with mushrooms, roasted onions, applewood smoked bacon pieces, topped with blue cheese crumbles, macaroni & cheese's parsed label. Start with that ingredient’s source context, then compare the rest of this 61-ingredient record.

  • Inspect the FDA SAFFA and CSPI context attached to Sodium Nitrite. Open Sodium Nitrite
  • Compare Fancy macaroni & cheese elbow macaroni tossed in a creamy cheese sauce with mushrooms, roasted onions, applewood smoked bacon pieces, topped with blue cheese crumbles, macaroni & cheese's 1 flagged ingredients with a product from the same score neighbourhood. Compare labels
  • Check how caution flags contribute to the derived screening score before drawing a dietary conclusion. Read the method

This page describes published ingredient-list and source coverage. It is not dietary or medical advice.

Barcode 0021000073825: product data from Open Food Facts (July 2026). Screening from FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine where attached. Figures are computed from those sources, not editor-typed. Methodology. Reference only, not dietary or medical advice.